The goal of this work is to provide ceramic-elastomer composites having the advantages of the ceramic phase without the unpredictable strength and characteristic brittleness of such materials. The incorporated elastomer will act as an energy sink, removing the energy necessary to continue crack propagation, thus reducing the likelihood of fracture. The composites will be formed by imprenating porous ceramic with monomer and polymerizing and crosslinking, in situ, using gamma ray and chemical initiation. Direct loading of polymer melts will also be tried. The major applications of the new composites will be as biomaterials which should prove useful for construction of implant devices such as hips, knees, shoulders and finger joints. During the period of this grant, simple mechanical and biological tests will be performed to evaluate properties of the composites.